March 30, 2005

Chugga chugga chugga choo choo.

We were in Cape Girardeau, Missouri this weekend. Not far from Carbondale, really. It was an extremely nice spring day on the Mississippi River, and I was lucky enough to get two surprises, both pleasant.
First, a freight train came through town on the riverfront, only a few feet unland of the flood wall. I was on the river side of the wall with my camera out, so I was able to get really close to a moving freight train, much closer to a moving train that I have ever been unless I was riding on it. Talk about shaking and rumbling! At several points, I thought it was going to fall on me, but that was probably just my clautrophobia acting out. Anyway, the most loyal of readers will understand that I love trains and always have. You knew that, right?
The other treat was finding a genuine copy of the first edition of the last full-lenth novel published during Hemingway's lifetime, Across The River And Into The Trees. For $7. Really. I don't collect Hemingway first editions. Too much money, for one thing. And what would be the point? I just thought it would be worthwhile to say I own at least one. And for $7, how could I not? I also found a first edition of Doctorow's Ragtime at another antique shop in Cape Girardeau a few months ago for one dollar. Apparently, some of the owners of the antique stores don't really a lot of American fiction.
I have some more photos of that day. I might upload them. I might not. My mother-in-law just flew back to the East Coast today, and my own parents are coming out for a visit this weekend. They both qualify for awesomeness of the highest order.
If posting is light over the next few days, forgive me. I'll have copious amounts of photos from the adventures of the coming weekend and hiking and etc. and etc.
So much for the unctuous account of my possible absence for a few days.
Maybe I'll just post more just to never stick by what I say I'll do.
That's more like me, after all.

4 comments:

Very true, Rob. I have a nice slip-case edition of For Whom The Bells Tolls that I received as a gift that is one of those club editions. It's very sneakily in only one place in a tiny spot after the LOC page. Luckily, the person who gave it to me didn't pay a lot for it, so it's all good:^)The one I found at Cape is a bona fide original. It's not in very great shape, but it's a good find!

I hear that. Not to mention those misleading Grosset and Dunlap reprints. The gem of my book "collection" (if it can be said to rise to that level) is a 1st of the much sought after "Presidential Agent" by Sinclair. By "much sought after" I mean, of course, "often used as kindling".